Summer Reading List Final Update.

Wow, it's the end of the summer already. I can't believe how fast this summer has gone by, however the beginning of the summer feels like forever. Now that the end of the summer is finally upon us, I bring to you an update of what my summer reading looked like.
This summer I had read 17 books. Out of those, 7 had been from my reading list from the summer.
Summer Reading List:
Nice Is Just a Place in France by the Betches
The One and Only by Emily Giffin
Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
The Complete works of William Shakespeare
I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne
#GirlBoss
The Complete Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Fill In Boyfriend
Infamous by Lauren Conrad
Shopaholic to the Stars

 
I had also read 10 other books, which include:
Brooklyn Story by Suzanne Corso
99 Days by Katie Cuguno
Landline by Rainbow Rowell
Hello Hollywood by Suzanne Corso
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen
Love Rosie by Cecelia Ahern
The List by Siobhan Vivian
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han 

In the last few days of summer, I'm reading "Mob Daughter" by Karen Gravano. I'm so proud of myself for reading all of these books, especially books that I've been dying to read for some time. Stay tuned for a semester reading list in the next week or so!

College Student Essentials-What They Didn't Say You Needed

When I entered college, I thought the things I needed were just school supplies. However, what I soon learned upon my first day of freshman year was that I was no longer in high school anymore. However, over the past three years of college, I picked up a few things that made my experience easier. And now, I'm going to share them with you all.

• A smartphone wallet.  In my crowded bag, I always manage to never find my phone inside my large tote bag. It can be annoying especially if it's ringing and I'm trying to answer it in time. However, with a smartphone wallet, I can worry less because I know exactly where it is. It also has enough room for other needs, such as my ID, debit card and cash.
• An adult coloring book. Let's be honest-college is stressful. Sometimes, we need to take a break even though it seems like it's the worst thing for us to do. A bunch of my friends recently bought this, and I thought that is was such a cute idea so I got one off of Amazon for less than five dollars. It seems like the perfect stress reliever, so I'm excited to share more about it when I get it. Just don't forget to get colored pencils or crayons if you don't already have them! 
• A tablet.  This may be the most expensive thing on my list, however in my opinion, it's the most essential. I use my tablet for work and for play. I like it that I have a keyboard so I can write notes for class. I also am in love with the Netflix and the Hulu apps so I can watch TV shows with ease. If you can afford it, I definitely recommend the iPad. 
• A library card. Books, music and movies are expensive. Libraries have a lot of popular books and if you're a resident than you can get them for free. If you're an avid reader, frequent music downloader, or a movie watcher, than this is the perfect fix for you. 
• A portable phone charger. I totally recommend this especially if you're also forgetting to charge your phone like I do. You just leave it plugged it for a while and then it usually has enough to charge your phone up to 50%! (Sometimes more, depending on what you get!)

What are your essentials for this school year? Let me know in the comments below! 

The Year of Rest

Last semester was the semester where I completely lost it all. I mean when I say that was I had so much going on that I was suffocating in all I had to do. And my to-do list was so long that I thought that I never would complete all that I have to do. I'm talking about the wieght of having two jobs, a full course load of classes, a blog and of course expectations that well exceeded what I should have been expecting for myself.
Fast forward to the end of the summer when I'm dreading school. I'm dreading constantly having to focus on work, and getting the best grades I can. I'm dreading the feeling of being overwhelmed, saying goodbye to my friends and of course just not having anytime for fun. However, during the process of me drowning in all of this, I did realize something. I realized that this year will be a thousand times different than last semester.
This semester, I am taking the minimum amount of classes to be considered full time. Those classes are classes that are a mixture of major requirements and electives. Some of the classes I'm taking I'm actually really looking foreword to, such as Young Adult literature where we read books for young adults. Another class I'm looking foreword to is Anthropology of the Media, where I learn about the past and future of media. I heard from friends that it was a good and easy class, so I am looking foreword to having it.
Another difference is that I don't have a completely full day. I used to have five classes a day; four of them were back to back. Needless to say, it was hell on earth. Now, on my busiest day I have two classes back to back, a few hours worth of break, and then two more back to back. That makes me feel better, because I don't have to worry about running around everywhere and making sure I have enough time to get from one place to another. I also will have time to go and eat lunch, which is a luxery when you're running around all day. I'm usually that person whose snacking on food during class, simply because I have no time to eat. Now, I actually will have time to enjoy a meal.
Finally, the biggest difference is a change in my jobs. Instead of working at my campus newspaper, I'm working at my hometown newspaper, where it's not as stressful and I make more. While working on my campus newspaper, I would have at least 2-3 600 word or more articles on a good week. I was responsible for editing, and making sure that my section was full. As much as I loved that job and all of the opportunities and people that I've met, it take it's toll on me. Now I'm free of all of that responsiblity, and I couldn't be happier.
At the end of the day, this will be my semester of rest. I'm so excited to have time to breathe and most importantly enjoy my last few years of college.

Music Monday: JoJo's Tringle

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For those of you who don't know, JoJo is one of my favorite singers to hit the music scene. She's incredibly talented and her music is unique. As I mentioned in a previous Music Monday, JoJo hasn't had a new single since 2011 when Disaster came out. However, this changed last Friday as her new tringle dropped. And the songstress didn't disappoint and it's clear that she's the queen of music.
Her triangle contained three new songs: When Love Hurts, Save My Soul, and Say Love. Each of the songs are so amazing, and you can tell JoJo really grew as an artist since "The High Road"'s release in 2006.
Each of the songs since I got them on Friday have been on repeat. "When Love Hurts" is an upbeat pop tune that can quickly get stuck in your head. The other two songs are a bit slower. However each of the songs show off JoJo's amazing vocal talent. "Say Love" really shows off JoJo's incredible range, which I thought made the song beautiful. The girl can sing and she's going to slay with her comeback. I can't wait until her third album, which I'm sure is going to be a hit.
So, if you haven't listened to the tringle yet, let me ask you what are you waiting for? Her music is amazing and she's incredibly talented! I give this release five stars, and I encourage you all to listen to it. 

Book Review: Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

 
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Sarah Dessen is one of my favorite authors, so when I learned that she was coming out with a new novel, I knew that it was a must read for the summer and it deserved a place on my summer reading list.
So, finally after months of putting it off I went to the library to get the book. (The library is my place of choice to get books because I don't actually have to pay for them.) And once I started to read it I couldn't stop.
The book was about Sydney. Her brother Peyton has been going through a challenging time with his court dates, and currently in jail for a hit and run. Sydney's life without a doubt has been affected by it. She's responsible for carrying the weight of her brother's responsibilities and how they have effected her parents. Her mother is in denial and believe Peyton is the victim. Her father stays in silence. Sydney lives a life of what she's supposed to be doing rather than what she wants to be doing.
That is until she meets Layla and her brother Mac. Soon, Sydney spends much of her free time with them. For the first time, she's living not in her brother's shadow but in her own light.
Overall, I thought that this book was really well written. It was one of those books that once you started, you simply couldn't put down no matter what. I liked the main character Sydney a lot. I felt that I could relate to her because she's a lot like me. I however didn't like Sydney's mother because I thought that she was ignorant of her daughter. I understand that she's worried about her son, but she also has another child who has problems of her own. She also expected her daughter to be perfect, however she made excuses for her son who was always in trouble.
Overall, this was an amazing book to read and I definitely recommend it.

Why I Love Taking Photos So Much

 
 Griffin, Gabriel and I.
Whenever I'm with my friends, one of my most common phrases is "stop! Let's take a picture!" This is especially true with my friends that are scattered around the country and even the world. Needless to say, the only times I see my friends are usually in the summer or during school breaks. In some cases, I might not even see my friends then such as the ones that live across the globe.
 
 Alessia and Gabriel one night at the park.
So, when we're together, I take pictures. That way, whenever I miss my friends, I can look back at it and remember them. Looking through old photos gives me a sense of nostalgia, because then I think about the people who I love.I think about the times when they were there, and then miss them because they are gone. Photographs are the way for me that captures every moment, so then I can a: blog about it and b: have it in my little phone forever. I then look through them when I'm sad or when I miss people.
 
 Gabriel and I
So my friends in real life who are reading this, remember this. Next time I ask you to pose for a photo, please allow me the chance to capture the moment. I apologize for it's annoyance, but this just means you're an important person to me that I'll miss you when you're gone. And of course, sometimes I take pictures for the sake of artsy Instagrams.

Griffin, Gabriel and I.

Let's Talk About Love

Love to me has different meanings. We love each other, as we build friendships that mean everything. We fall in love with someone who we hope to be our soulmate. We need to pick out a career path that makes someone happy to go to work every morning and feel actually fulfilled. And of course, we need to learn to love ourselves for we are in a relationship with ourselves longer than we will be with anyone.
In my opinion, we often think that love means being in a relationship. And that's the furthest thing from the truth. Let me break down all of the ways of love that there are out there, because there are more than one.
Loving Yourself: As I said earlier, the most important relationship one can have is the one with themselves. And it's also the most difficult one that we can have. It's the relationship that is also the most complicated. I think to love yourself doesn't mean that you have to love yourself everyday or will you be happy with yourself. Like every other relationship that you will have, the one that you have with yourself is the most complicated. With that being said, I believe that we're never complete. Instead we are constantly evolving and changing into someone different. I believe the true definition of love is when you're taking care of your needs, and realizing that you're a human who makes mistakes. Loving yourself means treating yourself to things that make you happy, such as getting frozen yogurt by yourself or lounging on the couch with Netflix or a good book. Why? Because you know you're worth it. I think we're too critical to ourselves, and that needs to stop. We all make mistakes, and we all do stupid things. The key is to simply learn to love yourself and your flaws. Learn to own being alone. That way, you'll never be lonely despite whether or not you have a boyfriend.
Loving What You Do: I think everyone needs to have a career where they love what they do so much that it's no longer a job nor is the work in the classes in that field considered to be work. It's what you're going to be doing. I'm lucky, and I found that love with Journalism. I am a Journalism nerd and I am excited for my future. I love writing, and I have a long way to go before I am out in the world. However, I have had some amazing opportunities. I can't say one negative thing about Journalism. I love the interviews. I love talking to people. I love writing a story, even though the topic bores me. I love being torn to shreds by my professors, because I know that's going to make me a better person. I think when you find a career that makes you this excited, than you know you're destined for great things no matter what the pay is.
Loving Who You Surround Yourself With: Friends, friends, friends. They are the people who are like family. They are the people who you willingly choose to be in your life. They are the backbone to every good story. They are the unpaid therapists and support systems that you get during good times and in bad. That's why it's important to surround yourself with good people, people that make you happy. Why? Because you deserve it. Plain and simple.
Love in Relationships: Relationships are tricky. People always want to get in them, because they are the sure ingredient for happiness. Or that's what they think anyways. However, you don't really need someone to make you happy. You need to learn how to make yourself happy.
The biggest thing about relationships, at least in my point of view, is timing and feelings. Your heart is a bigger compass than your brain, because it knows where you're going better than you ever can. It knows what's right for you, even if it's not logical. Only you know what's right for you, and that's something that a lot of people don't get. I don't know why, but I'm never worried about relationships. What's meant to be will happen. Sometimes, I believe that we try to be a bigger being than fate. Now as I enter my 20s, I simply let fate take the wheel. Why? Because I want to be with someone who makes me feel amazing. I want someone whose touch never lose the intense heat or burn of the fire. I want someone who knows me better than the back of their hand. And finally, I want someone who I am happy to be with, and I feel right being with. I may be only 21, but I know what I want.
So at the end of the day, these are the opinions about the various directions of love in my life. I believe that there's more to love in life than a significant other. And if you're doubting it, remember that you're loved. If you have friends, great books and a great place to call home that's love. No boyfriend is required.